Automobile signal



Apri124, 192s.

G. A. FRIEDRICH AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL Filed March 14 1927 GEBHR UT AFIEDICH Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

i GEBHARDTA. FRIEDRICH, orcoLUnBUseHmy AUToMoBILn SIGNAL" y Applicativi me@ Maren i4; man yseran` mQivsiiso. f

This inventionf` relates to automobile sig-y naling devices designed `to indicate to the drivers, of other vehicles the, driving intentiolrasto'stopping andturning ofthe auto-` mobilecarrying the s,`.',01i.all. k Heretofore sig,- nalling, devices of` thiskind While fairly visiblean daylight have notbeen clearly vis` ible fat night. i A furtherfaultiof such devices has been that their functioning Was notli`mmediately, and clearly:y understandable but have required longuseto educate the` public asito the significance,of` all the signals.` The object ofthe present invention,therefore, is to provideanV improved apparatus of the kind in `Which visibility isv as good asorbetter atI night than in daylight. f

Thefinvention is embodied 'in the example,

herein shown and described the features of novelty beingnallyj claimed. y f

In `the z accompanying drawing- Eigurel isa View look-ingifrom oli ank automobile showing. my invention as appliedthereto.. l

extended apparatus With out;v t t. c Y i v v Fig. ,fis an enlarged .detailvview partially infseotion-of,thejpointer member. y

a portion' broken In theviews 5 designates a' fraction of-they side Wallioffthe bodyf'of the automobile near theffront andk at the lei'tchand side thereof; Said portionofthewall is `provided with anr opening@ anda surroundingy reinforcingand,

supportingplate oriframe 7 also provided With acorresponding opening,V Saidy plate isl-providedwith a suitable pivotl bearingiS on WhichisA hung a caseorframe 9. o fwmetal or opaque materialandofliat box-like forni,-

openfatV one edge neXttlie oar bodyandfalso open atits lower. end. Thepivoted end of said caserispreferfably made yslopinggto shed Water.

Within t-he'case -itslovvenend is jour- Y naled'agearu'wheel lOVhaving-'a portionll of f its shaftfenlargedand provided with a latn erall boss 121 fiat onf'its outer end andfupon said' bossv isl secured by hook boltsl 13y the pointermember 14 intherform of an arrow` made hollow and of transparent or translu-l cent glass. Said hookfbolts'withl the pointer member 'are secured'to :the lsaid shaftby nuts/f the rear y *'15 engaging a strap 16 embracing .tlieoppo` site. side of theshaft. l Betweenthe end ofthe l pointermemberandthe boss 1 2is a platel'f` carrying ay socket 18 to c receive, in c they usual manner,;an electric lamp 19reXtending into,y

the pointer andmade of a length' nearlyequal to thev lengthr of the vpointer membery so as! effectively to illuminate thev pointer, member;y

for. substantiallyits entire length.

J ournaled Within thecase land tofonewall. thereof is a: large gear QOmeshed withthe gear. 10. Said L bein y the initials; ofthewords ,slovv,right andr legt the end `of a spring23 securedactoangd lying on the` upper side of a fixedlugg24 so., thatin operation saidracksbar canyieldas far'as necessary to ystress toivardlthe pivoted closed.

y gear QOJhas` cut in itthrough y' openings of, the forms ofthe.IettersS, Rand t t Y `respectively."V The larger gear- 20; y f is engaged by a rack bar 21,/ pivoted at 2210" n end ofthe caseabutnottoward thefree `end;`

thereof?, `A sprin5225y ongthe` case holdsy the y ,i rack-Ibai' with itsraclrconstantly engaged; Frig. .2 is1 ,af plan View of the horizontallyy With-the larger'gear 20.y The pivot 22 kof the` rackr bari is "so located with? reference Y to the rV hinge`8 of ithecase that movement of' the ,case causes a rotation of the large geen` by` v the. rack inadirectionyto swing the pointer member outeof ythe case when:y the-latten is.

movedfrom the solidi line position kshown in;`

Fig1k ly to the several brokengline positions',

shownin the sameview. ',Byreason of then,v

indicated by! the rst brokenline position# beyond the normal.v Reversely, .that is when the, case is swungk from an elevatedposition` vtowardxthe side of the car, the pointenisf season i relative positionof the pivotsiQQ andk Scythe y* i notginterferedvwith,by thehside of {theicarz asyv y i sector sl1aped opening of sull'cient simalcto` permit the display ofthe whole of one effthev letters S,V L, Rat one time as thecasefis shifted `to the several signaling positions. The signal lettersl are' so' located 1lingt'he' wheel 20 fthat each can show asl-a whole through said sector-likeopening when the case and pointer are in substantially the three upper extended positions indicated by broken lines in Fig. l.

rIhe lamp ot the pointer is electricallyV illuminated from th'e ordinary source of electricity carried by the'autoniobile by means of suitable conductors 27 extended through the box and the hollowed axle of the gea-r 10. In series with the lamp le ot' the pointer there is shown a lamp 28 for illuminating the openings forming the letters S, R, Ii. Y

Fixed to the upper end of the case near the point of its hinged connection with the body ofthe car is an arm 29 that extends through the aforesaid opening the end ot said arm havinga'tta'ched thereto a rod extended to any suitable means for the operation Vof the signal by the driver to move it to any desired signaling position. Gravity can be utilized to vreturn the signal to normal position shown by the solid lines Fig. l.

Fixe-d on the :car is an arcuate contact member 30 in Contact with which the arm 29 passesV to make and break the circuit that illuminates the lamps when the signals are to be displayed, said arcuate member not eX- tending sui'liciently upward to keep the lamp circuit closed when the case is hanging down in normal position.

In ordinary running the case with the pointer concealed therein is allowed to hang in the normal position near the side or' the car as indicated by said solid lines. `When about to stop the driver raises the signal to position to expose the letter S, in which position the pointer hangs downward toward the'road. When a left turn is to be made the driver further elevates the device to horizontal position in which event the'letter L is exhibited and the pointer turned topoint directly to the left. AWhen a right turn is to be made Vthe driver eii'ects a further elevation of the device causing the pointer toy pointtoward the right and the letter R exhibited. The operation of the signal can be the same either in the day or night, but becauseboth the'pointer and the letter can be illuminated the indications at night are perhaps, by contrast, even more distinct than in daylight. An important eature ofthe invention is that the construction is such that'for the lett and i'ight turns the same pointer is used to point in said directions thereby rendering it immediately apparent to other drivers and pedestrians the direction intended to be taken.

Ihe iorms ot the parts can be changed without departing 'from ,the gist of the invention as claimed. 'Ihe term translucent is used in a broad sense including transparent.

What I claim is:

1. A direction indicator mechanism for attachment to a motor vehicle comprising, in

combination, a swinging casing or frame having its outer edge closed and its inner edge open, a translucent pointer pivoted therein, means for moving said pointer into said casing and out of the open edge of the saine into three different indicating positions, and means 4within the pointer for illuii'iinating the same.

2. A direction indicator mechanism for attachment to a motor vehicle comprising, in combination a swinging casing or frame having its outer edge closed and its inner edge'open, a translucent, pointer pivoted therein, means ior moving said pointer into said casing and out of the open edge o the kso same into diierent indicating positions, and

means within the pointer for illuminating the same, a rotary wheel actuated with the pointer moving means and having indicating f characters corresponding with and presented to view contemporaneously with the presentation oi' corresponding indications by the pointer.

3. A direction indicator mechanism forattaeliment to a motor vehicle comprising, in

combination a swinging casing or frame having its outer edge closed and its inner edge open, a translucent pointer pivoted therein, nieansi'or moving said pointer into said casing and out of `the open edge of the same into diii'erent indicating positions, and means within the pointer for illuminating the same, a rotary wheel actuated with the pointer moving means andv i having indicating characters corresponding with and presented to view contemporaneously with the presen` tation of corresponding indications bythe pointer, and means Yfor illuminating the characters. i

4. A. direction indicator mechanism for attachment to a motor vehicle comprising, in combination, a swinging frame or casing, a

pointer pivoted in the free end of said casing and means actuated by the movement of the casing tor moving said pointer into said traine or casing and out of the same at the `edge next the vehicle into positions to point downward, tothe left and to the right.

5. A direction indicator mechanism for attachment to a motor vehicle comprising, in

combination, a swinging frame or casing,apointer in said casing, and means actuated by the movement of kthe casing for moving said pointer from the edge thereof next the vehicle into position to point downward, to the lett, and to the right.

6. A direction indicator mechanism for attachment to a motor vehicle comprising, in combination, a frame or casing having a pivot on which it swings, a pointer pivoted in said casing, and means actuated by the f movement of the casing for moving said pointer out ot' said casing towardv the side of the vehicle and successivelyy into position to point downward, to the left and the right,

said means including a spur gear concentric with the pivot of the pointer, a spur gear meshing therewith, and a rack engaging said last named gear, the rack being pivoted in 5 eccentric relation to the pivot of the casing.

7 A direction indicator mechanism for attachment to a motor vehicle comprising, in

combination, a .swinging casing or frame f having its `outer edge closed and its inner edge open,` a pointer therein, means for moving said pointer into the open edge of the casing and out of the same toward the side of the vehicle into three different indicating positions including( right and left turning indications..

GEBHARDT A. FRIEDRICH. 

